The Homer and Nikiski soccer teams opened up their seasons with the host Mariners notching a Peninsula Conference sweep Tuesday night.
The Mariners girls registered a 12-0 triumph, while the boys won 10-0.
In the girls game, Minadora Reutov and Sela Weisser each had hat tricks to lead the Mariners, while Debbie Weisser added two scores. Maddox Berg, Emma Grimes, Izzy Dye and Lily King each had goals.
Debbie Weisser and Sela Weisser each had a pair of assists, while Felicia Weisser got the shutout in net.
Considering it was his team’s ninth day on the Homer turf, and two of those days were in the early morning in inches of snow, Homer coach Mike Tozzo was pleased with the performance. He said his team was focusing on possession, making good passes and using the entire field.
“Nikiski was running with 12 people and they played hard, but I feel bad for them,” Tozzo said. “That’s a tough thing to deal with and I’ve been there before and know what it’s like.”
Nikiski does not have a turf field, so the Bulldogs have yet to practice on their grass because it is still covered in ice.
Emma Weeks was in goal for the Bulldogs and faced over 45 shots.
“We’re looking to better our skills and instill good sportsmanship at every opportunity,” Coelho wrote in an email.
Homer boys 10, Nikiski 0
Hunter Green, Casey Otis and Lucas Story each put in two goals as the Mariners notched the victory.
Also scoring for Homer were Mo Techie, Jake Tappan, Michael Reutov and Espen Hennick.
Owen Pitzman had a pair of assists for the Mariners, while Tappan and Story added helpers.
Freshman Walden Kraszeski had the shutout in goal, while Homer coach Adam Diaz said freshman Kaiden Bogie had a great day at right back.
“I think it was a great learning experience for the guys,” Diaz said. “We’re really trying to focus on composure and controlling the game to the best of our ability through possession. In the beginning of the game, we were struggling to connect passes but as time kept unwinding we were able to connect better passes.”
Nikiski coach Jeremy Garrett said in a text message that Homer is always competitive and displays good sportsmanship, and Tuesday was no exception. Dylan Hall played goalie for the Bulldogs.
